Imagine, if you will, a kind of devastation. A calamity to be remembered, recorded in the annals of ages. The kind of news that makes you pull your children close, makes you call your parents, or for the most desperate- phone up the local Chinese and not say anything, just to feel a comforting voice down the line.
You may be picturing a plague, or a natural disaster of some kind, but no. For hundreds of angry Italians with their knickers in a twist, this grave injustice comes in the form of a duck risotto.
‘Today 100 million Italians in the world died of pain and sorrow’… crying emoji.
That was one woman’s reaction to the 30 second cooking tutorial. The comment below informs that this was in fact a commonly found meal in Rome, thanks to a century of strong Jewish population ‘koshering’ the region’s dish. The original commenter, Signora Angry, was not aware of this, likely hailing from another region with a totally different (and obviously extremely limited) scope of what real ‘Italian’ food could be.
So, what is Italian food anyway, I hear you ask?
Really, the bare bones of ‘Italian’ style cooking is to use only a few local ingredients, cooked simply with few spices to distract from the food’s natural flavours. There are typically several courses to a meal, featuring pasta, meat, various local cheeses alongside a variety of seasonal vegetables. It is a peasant tradition which varies massively, due to its emphasis on locality and seasonal ingredients and it works because of the quality of produce available in Italy.
So integrated is food to notions of a good lifestyle or ‘Dolce Vita,’ that the country has a colossal 274 protected foods. This is notably the highest number for any EU member states and can be found on the back of many products imported here, such as specialty cheese like Parmigiano Reggiano DOP- the upscale elite form of the regular stinky old bag of grated supermarket parmesan. Schools in Italy are also forbidden by law from serving fried foods in their cafeterias.
So- great. Italian food is nutritious, varied, and beloved by millions. Its quality is fiercely protected by its government. All is well in the world. Right? Not quite. As national ideals encouraging good food and a high quality of life for its citizens are being warped by the country’s far right into a cultural weapon, to be fired against migrants alleged to be threatening this sacred way of life.
An ironic example of this can be found in Italy’s north, where the local cuisine has historically reflected similar tastes to its bordering nation, Switzerland. Heavy on cheese and potato, alongside polenta, which is a stable part of the local diet. It is also a place, like many throughout the country, which has seen an increase in migrants over the last few years, from predominantly African and Middle Eastern countries.
In 2010, the far right ‘Lega Nord’ party operating across northern Italy, led a campaign to restrict sales of ethnic foods enjoyed by migrants, with the slogan “Sì alla polenta, no al Couscous” (We want Polenta not Couscous). Now in Trieste, every kebab or order of ‘ethnic’ food must now also be served with a regional food, such as polenta. Supposedly, this is to protect local traditions from being ‘replaced’ by other popular food trends. However, many have noticed that it is only certain cultural foods- Couscous rather than French crepes for example- that are being targeted.
The irony is of course, that polenta itself is not traditionally native to Italy. For the uninitiated, it is a kind of corn meal which came to Europe only relatively recently from the New World- similarly to tomatoes, now perhaps the most staple ‘Italian’ flavour. In fact, it is hard to find any ‘traditional’ recipe proffered as the real Italian cooking which does not include an originally foreign ingredient.
Even Couscous itself has been consumed for generations in Sicily, due to close trading links with the Arab world dating back centuries. The fact is, without influence from abroad, ‘Italian’ food could not exist in the form it is today. So why is it that today food traditionalism is being used as a point to exclude, mock, and other those who challenge the boundaries of ‘good food,’ either by modifying, re-inventing, or simply eating other foods inside the country’s borders?
Exclusivity is the foodstuff of xenophobia
Ultimately, to accept the plasticity of culture and identity, that what it means to be Italian, even down to the changes of food consumption, is to accept the equality of the migrants who bring their own traditions. Which for many on the country’s right this is impossible. It is a threat to the identity they believe makes them superior. A moment’s research on statements made by Italy’s prime minister and former fascist party member, Georgia Meloni, can attest to this fact.
So, as European law prohibits overtly discriminatory laws, xenophobic politicians have gotten creative and disguised their bigotry as patriotism. A well-worn tactic, but easily hidden when it is in the guise of cornmeal. As unlikely as it may seem, this attitude of gastro-elitism is what we see trickling down from more outspoken cultural leaders to members of the public, who may not hold such extreme attitudes towards migrants themselves but are not immune to nationalist sentiment in a less extreme, less scary disguise.
That is nationalism’s true insidiousness. It is held up as pride in one’s culture, disguised and disguised again as positive traits impossible to argue against, as it works to divide and trample on those it deems undesirable.
Although our infamous British grub is a far cry from the illustrious Italian cuisine in terms of cultural capital, we are not immune nor above similar snobbishness. When foreign foods are called ‘weird,’ gross,’ or when people make a fuss over a strong-smelling dish they do not recognise, take a minute to think to yourself if you would say the same about pie and mash, or even a classic carbonara.
Finally, to the reader incentivised to try and replicate some Italian dishes back home in the UK, it is important to remember that it was collaboration, not insular haughtiness, which led ‘Italian’ to become one of the world’s most beloved cuisines. Without any need for the authenticity police online or in government. Sorry, Polizia.
